Heroes Aren't Born
by dudemcguy
Summary: First ever fanfic, so be kind! A SI in the MCU with the sole purpose of gathering power. A Marvel fan dies and is reborn in the MCU, well before the events shown in the movies. What does he do? Gather as much power as possible, of course. Rated T for now. Reviews much appreciated! Constructive criticism and suggestions are my motivation in life. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

I sighed as I laid back into my first-class seat, closing the red book in my hands, and looking out of the airplane window at the snow-covered landscape flying past below me. It had been a long flight to Siberia, Russia, but if all went to plan, the reward would be well worth whatever jetlag I suffered.

I checked my watch. Still forty-five minutes to my destination. This was as good a time as any to go over the plan, so I put away the book in my hands and pulled out my laptop. Force of habit made me reaffirm the date, 26th April 2008. I still had a full year till things started to snowball. More than enough time for me to be well into Phase One of my plan.

I opened my notes and references, and pulled up the files that I kept on all the original Avengers.

Oh yeah… I forgot to mention. I died. In the normal world. An eroded stone gargoyle had broken off of a building and had landed on my head at terminal velocity. Kind of embarrassing, to be honest.

But instead of going to heaven, hell or getting reincarnated, I ended up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of all places, as Alexander North, the genius son and sole heir of Joseph North, ex-CEO of North Enterprises.

North Enterprises, based in New York, had dominated the worldwide shipping industry for the better part of the 20th century, until it was bought by Howard Stark in the early eighties, for an obscenely large sum, of which my father had the largest cut. This one transaction made him, and by extension me, billionaires. My father retired from work and settled down to enjoy the rest of his life in luxury and indulgence. Not being a very sharp man to begin with, his newly acquired wealth only served to make him even more complacent, which in turn made him all the easier for me to manipulate.

To say that I had a shock at dying and being resurrected as the son of a billionaire in the MCU was a bit of an understatement. I'll admit, a part of me just wanted to settle in and enjoy the rest of my life as a one percenter, partying all night and banging supermodels. But maybe it was the fact that I knew that eventually a certain Mad Titan would be showing up and killing half the universe, or maybe it was just that I now lived in a universe where the impossible was possible, I decided that I would become a defender of Earth. A guardian. Not a superhero, but someone who had enough power to challenge Thanos himself. I wanted the power of a god, and I decided no one was going to stop me.

Even as a child, I'd been thinking, scheming of the future. I'd convinced my father to let me train in martial arts with the absolute best teachers. I'd studied and mastered every conceivable branch of science. By age fifteen, I could hold my own against ten adult combatants without breaking a sweat, carry a conversation with top level scientists, and handle most weapons expertly. In short, I had trained my mind and body to the absolute peak of human potential. But I needed to push them past that, which brings us back to the first class compartment on a chartered plane over Siberia.

My father had recently passed away in his sleep, leaving me the sole heir to his whole estate, including his billions. I had already put them to good use. I'd set up multiple hideouts in key areas in the USA, like New York, Malibu, and New Mexico, where Thor fell to Earth. I had transformed my penthouse into a cutting-edge base of operations, complete with a state-of-the-art Stark tech-powered laboratory.

So, why was I on this chartered plane? Simple. I had tracked down the Hydra colonel who had been the Winter Soldier's handler in the 90's. I had taken him out in much the same way as Zemo had in the _Civil War_ movie (he didn't put up much of a fight, being surprised). And then I had acquired the Red Book and the location of the Siberian facility from him. This was the first step of Phase 1; to acquire Super Soldier serum.

From there I would embark on my quest to gain as many power-ups as I possibly could. I was confident that with my already formidable skills, coupled with my metaknowledge of this universe, I would encounter no serious problems in my rise to power.

Anyway, I went through the case files of the Avengers.

 _ **ANTHONY EDWARD STARK – IRON MAN**_

 _ **Status:**_ _Alive_

 _ **Date of Birth:**_ _May 29, 1970_

 _ **Last Known Location:**_ _Stark Mansion, Malibu California._

 _ **Importance Level:**_ _10_

 _ **Notes:**_ _Tony Stark is a genius, billionaire, philanthropist and the head of Stark Industries. Using his own great wealth and exceptional technical knowledge, Stark has enjoyed the playboy lifestyle for many years. That will change when he is kidnapped by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. With his life on the line, Stark will create an armored suit which he will use to escape his captors, return home and become the armored superhero known as Iron Man, battling against terrorists as well as his own former business partner Obadiah Stane. He will go on to become a founding member of the Avengers, and he will be, in Steve Rogers words, "Earth's greatest defender."_

 _ **Pressure Points:**_ _Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Happy Hogan._

 _ **Affiliations:**_ _Stark Industries, S.H.I.E.L.D.(future), Avengers (future)._

 _ **STEVEN GRANT ROGERS – CAPTAIN AMERICA**_

 _ **Status:**_ _Alive (Frozen in the Arctic Circle)_

 _ **Date of Birth:**_ _July 4, 1918_

 _ **Last Known Location:**_ _H.Y.D.R.A. Headquarters, Swiss Alps Europe._

 _ **Importance Level:**_ _10_

 _ **Notes:**_ _Steve Rogers is a World War II veteran, and is known as the world's first superhero. Born within Brooklyn, New York City, the young Rogers had suffered from numerous health problems, and upon America's entry into World War II, was rejected from military service despite several attempts to enlist. Determined to serve, he ultimately volunteered for the top-secret Super Soldier program, and the frail Rogers was then enhanced to the peak of human perfection. Rogers soon joined the war effort as the mascot, given the new moniker of Captain America, and later joined the war with a combat role after he single-handedly liberated captured Allied POWs._

 _From 1943 to 1945, Rogers attacked multiple HYDRA bases alongside his own team, the Howling Commandos, in another attempt to capture Red Skull, and recover the Tesseract. His famous World War II exploits had made him a living legend, and during this time he also formed a relationship with agent Peggy Carter. Despite seemingly losing his closest best friend and loyal teammate, Bucky Barnes, during a mission, Rogers carried on to help the Allies win the war, but crashed into the Arctic during his final mission. His close friend Howard Stark spent time searching for his body. Rogers then has spent more than sixty years encased into ice in suspended animation before Rogers will eventually be found by S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2012._

 _ **Pressure Points:**_ _Agent Peggy Carter, James "Bucky" Barnes._

 _ **Affiliations:**_ _U.S Army (formerly), SSR (formerly), S.H.I.E.L.D. (future), Avengers (future)._

 _ **THOR ODINSON**_

 _ **Status:**_ _Alive_

 _ **Date of Birth:**_ _? (Vastly Delayed Aging/Nigh Immortality)_

 _ **Last Known Location:**_ _Asgard_

 _ **Importance Level:**_ _9_ __

 _ **Notes:**_ _Thor Odinson is the prince of Asgard, and the God of Thunder. When his irresponsible behavior will restart a conflict between Asgard and Jotunheim, Thor will be denied the right to become king, be stripped of his power, and be banished by his father Odin to Earth. While exiled on Earth, Thor will learn humility, finding love with Jane Foster, and helping to save his new friends from a destructive threat sent by his adoptive brother Loki. Due to his selfless act of sacrifice, Thor will redeem himself in his father's eyes and will be granted his power once more, which he will then use to defeat Loki's schemes of genocide._

 _One of the most powerful Avengers, if not the most._

 _ **Pressure Points:**_ _Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Erik Selvig_

 _ **Affiliations:**_ _Asgard, Avengers (future), Revengers (future)._

 _ **ROBERT BRUCE BANNER – THE HULK**_

 _ **Status:**_ _Alive_

 _ **Date of Birth:**_ _December 18, 1969_

 _ **Last Known Location:**_ _Rio de Janeiro, Brazil_

 _ **Importance Level:**_ _9_

 _ **Notes:**_ _Bruce Banner, M.D., Ph.D. is a renowned scientist who Is highly respected for all his work in the fields of Biochemistry, Nuclear Physics, and Gamma Radiation. As part of a program commissioned by General Thaddeus Ross to recreate the Super Soldier Serum which created Captain America, Banner will conduct an experiment with Gamma Radiation. However, when an exposure to high levels of Gamma Radiation instead of Vita Radiation will go awry, the mild-mannered scientist will find that when angered or provoked, he will transform into the huge, rage-fueled, nearly mindless and green-skinned monster known as the Hulk._

 _One of the strongest Avengers, if not the strongest._

 _ **Pressure Points:**_ _Betty Ross._

 _ **Affiliation:**_ _Harvard University (formerly), Avengers (future), Revengers (future)._

I had notes like these for almost all of the main players in the Marvel universe, but these four were the most relevant to Phase 1 of my plan. Therefore, I kept careful tabs on them and their movements… Well, I mostly kept tabs on Tony Stark, since Steve Rogers was frozen, Thor had yet to come to earth and Banner was in the wind. But I _had_ made plans for them according to my meta knowledge, so I had a fairly good handle on the major events that would be happening in the coming years.

The pilot's voice through the intercom jarred me from my musings.

"Alright, Mister North, we're approaching our destination. We'll be landing in ten minutes."

Excitement swept like a wave through me at the prospect of obtaining my first, _real_ power up, one that would push me beyond the limits of any human being in the planet right now.

I sat up straight, and let a triumphant smile come to my face.

Today was going to be a good day.

 **So that was that.**

 **This is my first ever fanfic, guys. So if I suck, be kind!**

 **That aside, if anyone has any constructive criticism, let me hear it! I want to improve my writing, and any advice will be highly appreciated! Also as a disclaimer, this fic is greatly inspired by "Twelve Step Program to Omnipotence" by Bakkughan. It's one of my favorite fics ever, and if you're a fan of SI fics and Marvel, you NEED to read it. This fic won't be a complete copy of Twelve Steps, but it may borrow pretty heavily from it. I dunno. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and if anyone has any suggestions regarding the story, I'm open to all ideas!**

 **PEACE!**


	2. Chapter 2

The calm, serene silence of the frozen wasteland was broken by the rumbling engine of the land cruiser I had rented from the airport. I had been driving for nearly an hour, taking in the scenery and trying to calm my nerves. It wasn't that I was afraid or anything. I had been preparing for this since the day I was born, literally. It was just the fact that after such an unbearably long time, I was _here_. I was here on the cusp of greatness. I was at the start of my journey. It would be a long one, and it wouldn't be easy, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

The land cruiser climbed over a small hill, and that was when I saw my destination. The abandoned HYDRA facility. My hands shook on the steering wheel as I drove down the hill, towards the building. On the way there, I kept revising the plan in my head. I needed the Super Soldier serum. I was hoping that I would be able to find a pure, unadulterated sample of it in there somewhere, but if there was none, which was probably likely, I would have to take blood samples from the sleeping Winter Soldiers. I was _not_ looking forward to that, but if push comes to shove, I was fully prepared to do just that. I had a bag filled with blood collection tubes, hypodermic needles, and multiple syringes. I had everything _under control._

I pulled up the vehicle a few hundred metres from the entrance of the compound. Taking a long breath, I opened the door and got out into the cold, crisp air. The cold air stabbed through my clothes, chilling me instantly. Stamping my feet, I walked towards the trunk and opened it up. Inside was a large metal case, with a security keypad. I punched in the code, and the case opened. Inside was what I liked to imagine was my battle uniform. A full-body suit of reinforced tri-weave Kevlar, with chest, shoulder guards, gauntlets and boots made of titanium plates. Along with this, I had a reinforced titanium helmet that covered my whole face, kind of like Deathstroke, two Glock 17s, and a razor-sharp machete. I also had a utility belt that was filled with various gadgets, made both by Stark Industries and myself, that would help me in any situation, Batman-style. (Although I had not been able to acquire any Shark-Repellant).

I pulled on my bodysuit, my belt, armored gloves, and boots. I holstered my guns at my calves and the machete at the back of my belt. Finally, I lowered the helmet on my head, which promptly lit up with a tactical display, giving me a detailed feed of all my surroundings. I went over the contents of the various pouches on my belt once and then headed towards the entrance, the medical bag over my shoulder and the red book in my hand.

From the book, I entered the passcode, 1-0-1-9, and the huge door slid open. I entered the darkened hall slowly, gauging my surroundings, and moving as quietly as possible. I crept down a long corridor, passing the point where, I thought, that Captain America and Bucky had met up with Iron Man. Using the book as a guide, I reached the main room/laboratory/holding cells where all the Soldiers were kept.

There were five cryostasis chambers built into the walls of the room, preserving the bodies of the deadliest assassins in history. I walked towards the nearest one and wiped the dust of the Plexiglas. Inside was a large man, easily as big as Steve Rogers, and just as powerful.

Time to get to work. I swung the medical bag off my shoulder and started to search the room thoroughly. Filing cabinets, drawers, workbenches littered with forgotten projects and blueprints of abandoned schemes. For half an hour I searched every nook and cranny, but was at last forced to concede that there really was no pure sample of the Serum in this compound.

Sighing heavily, I turned towards the cryostasis chambers to get a blood sample when I suddenly felt a slight draught. For an instant I tensed, expecting some attacker to suddenly jump at me, but no one did. I turned on thermal scanning and did a once-over on the room. The only living signatures I picked up were the Winter Soldiers. I relaxed somewhat, then scanned the room again to find the source of the draught. It was coming from behind a large bookshelf that I hadn't bothered with since what I was looking for wasn't in a book. Walking towards it, I examined the frame carefully, and sure enough, there was a hidden compartment behind the wooden exterior. I pushed the bookshelf to the side, and it slid noiselessly out of the way.

Inside was a small cardboard box, filled with various paper files and floppy disks. What I needed was probably not here, but it piqued my curiosity. What could be so sensitive that Hydra would keep it in a secret space, in a secret space? I pulled out the box and put it on the ground and stared at it. I was extremely tempted to open it. What sort of information could I find there? How much was in there? This could be a treasure trove of intel. I practically salivated at the thought of poring over some of HYDRA's deepest secrets, outdated they may be.

"Focus, Alex," I muttered. I needed to prioritize. The Serum was my reason for being here. That was the reason I'd almost had my balls frozen off. I'd get my sample from the assassin behind me, pick up the box, and run along my merry way. What could go wrong?

A lot, actually. A lot could go wrong, as I would soon find out.

I walked to the nearest stasis chamber and read the terminal next to it. It was in Russian, but luckily I was perfectly fluent, having mastered the language at age seven. The subject's vitals were stable, heart rate normal for a cryogenically frozen man. And yes, I knew what heart rate was normal for a cryogenically frozen man. I had read all the available material on the subject and had even contributed an essay or two under a pseudonym. Carefully adjusting the sedative to keep him under, I opened up the case. Inside was a powerfully built man, lying completely still, and clad in a simple black shirt and pants. I rolled up his sleeve, and carefully inserted the needle into his antecubital vein. I slowly filled the syringe full of blood, and carefully put it into a specially designed pouch on my belt. Then I took out a new syringe, and took another sample, and then another. I was now taking my fourth sample, everything was going smoothly. My initial nervousness had faded, and I was close to actually whistling in glee.

Unfortunately, my confidence came at the price of decreased vigilance, therefore I failed to notice the warning signs on the console that the sedative was running out or the slight twitching on the face of my test subject.

Hence, the ridiculously hard punch to the face came as a complete and utter shock.

I was thrown clean off, flew at least ten feet through the air and landed with a crash against the opposite wall. Thankfully my armor absorbed the brunt of both the attack and the collision, otherwise both my face and my spine would have been mutilated for life. Not exactly a promising start to my plans to become all powerful.

I sat up slowly, straightening my back and blinking the stars out of my eyes. As my vision cleared, I saw the Winter Soldier kneeling at the foot of the stasis chamber, not moving. I stood up warily, my hand drifting towards my knife. This was a guy who was capable of going head to head with the likes of Captain America and the original Winter Soldier. He was very much a threat.

He raised his head and looked at me. I _really_ didn't like the look in his eyes. They promised pain and suffering. My hand twitched towards my guns instead.

That set him off.

With a roar, he leaped towards me with a speed that wasn't humanly possible. I was barely able to dive out of the way. The assassin somersaulted mid-jump, kicking off from the wall and landing right in front of me. In a small corner of my mind that wasn't engulfed in panic, I was gobsmacked at this kind of agility. The movies didn't do the Serum _justice_. It was absolutely amazing! It would give me even more power than I had realized!

The soldier growled like an animal and charged, reminding me forcefully that none of my plans would mean anything if I died here.

I backflipped out of his way and punched him in the chest. My gauntlet-covered blow should have caused any normal human to lose his last meal, but the Soldier- (I feel like I call him that too much. Let's just call him… Brad. Yeah, Brad's good.) -Bradjust took it like it was a love tap. He grabbed my arm and judo flipped me over his shoulder, sending me crashing into some cupboards. I groaned feebly as I got to my feet.

Yep, that was gonna hurt in the morning. And in the afternoon. And at night.

I pulled out both my guns- _Time to end this,_ I thought—and Brad was on me in a heartbeat. He disarmed me before I could even react, and punched me in the stomach, hard enough to make me lose my breath. He kneed me in the face, which I somehow blocked. I threw a right hook at his face, which he easily dodged, and kicked me into the wall. Again.

He closed the distance between us, wrapped his huge hands around my throat and started squeezing. I let out a choked moan, unable to breathe. Black spots started to obscure my vision. I desperately ripped open a pouch on my hip and pulled out a Taser-disk, based on Black Widow's in _The Winter Soldier._ At the same time, I jabbed two fingers of my other hand into his eyes. He yelled out in pain and dropped me, gasping and spluttering, on the floor, while he grabbed his eyes in pain. Before he could recover, I jammed the disk into his neck, unleashing several million volts of electricity into his body. A normal person would just die instantly. But Brad just started spasming, and then passed out.

I took a moment to catch my breath, then I picked him up, and with great difficulty, carried him to his cryostasis chamber, and positioned him in. I restocked the thrice-damned dope, picked up the blood tubes, my guns and, almost as an afterthought, picked up the small box of HYDRA secrets, tucked it under my arm, and limped out of the compound.

As I walked out into the open air, I noticed that the display in my helmet was on the fritz. I took it off and examined it. The helmet had a large crack running from the forehead all the way across the cranium. It was where I had been sucker punched. God, that sonofabitch could crack armor reinforced with titanium!

I detached the top half of the helmet that housed the electronics. Yep, completely totaled. I groaned. That was at least several hundred thousand down the drain. I opened the trunk of the cruiser, threw in my helmet and the box, and changed into civilian clothes. I took out the blood tubes and placed them in a specially designed refrigerated container, and got into the driver's seat. As I started the engine, I took a moment to think of my next move. I would have to head to my safehouse in Moscow, to heal and to study the blood.

And while I was there, I could also take care of something else I had been meaning to do in Russia; have a chat with dear ol' comrade Whiplash, and his father's designs of the arc reactor. However, all this might be a bit difficult for me to do alone. Thankfully, I was not. Smiling, I turned the car around and sped off towards the airport.

"Good evening, Alex. I trust your… business in Siberia was a success?"

Johnathan Caruthers said, greeting me as I entered into the decrepit-looking building that served as my Moscow safehouse. The rundown exterior belied the posh interior with the small yet state-of-the-art laboratory.

"It was a bit more exciting than I had anticipated, John, but nothing I couldn't handle," I smiled as I shook the grizzled-haired man's hand. Johnathan Caruthers's was an interesting character. He had served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a Navy SEAL, winning a Medal of Honour for outstanding courage. After being honourably discharged, he joined S.H.I. . and served as a covert operative for five years, until he was grievously injured in a botched black op. The head agent in charge of said black op was none other than sleaze ball extraordinaire, Jasper Sitwell. Thus, the details were hushed up, and Caruthers kicked to the curb. He spent a whole year on the streets as a homeless cripple, until he lucked out enough to buy a ticket to Nepal. A few months later he was back, completely healthy, citing "Oriental healing and meditation" as the reason for his remarkable recovery. I wasn't fooled. He had been to Kamar-Taj, and had been healed through the power of the Ancient One. He had entered into the private bodyguard business, and I'd got my father to hire him instantly.

Besides being a dependable fighter, he was also remarkably smart. Not on Stark's or my level, but enough to be extremely useful to me. After I had judged him to be loyal, I revealed my plans to him. Not everything, mind you. I didn't want to end up in an insane asylum. But I told him that I'd had a premonition of future events in which half of all life in the universe had been wiped out.  
He was skeptical at first (who wouldn't be) but after spending time with S.H.I.E.L.D _and_ in Kamar-Taj he was smart enough to not dismiss anything out of hand. And sure enough, when the Hulk was created just like I said he would be (he learned it through his Army contacts) he believed me wholeheartedly and started to help me with my schemes. In fact, it was John who had come up with the design of my armor in the first place, taught me Systema, a kind of martial art focusing on fighting with knives and firearms, and had given me most of my weapon training. He had proven himself invaluable to me, and had become my confederate, and my closest friend.

"Exciting how, exactly?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

I sighed, and recounted the story.

When I was finished, he asked, "So you fought one of the greatest assassins in history. What was he like?"

I thought for a moment, and then answered. "Animalistic."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He was strong and fast, sure. A _lot_ more than I expected, but he wasn't exactly all there in the head. It seemed like he was running on pure instinct alone."

"Interesting. Although he was frozen for God knows how long, maybe that's to be expected?" he said.

"Maybe," I answered thoughtfully.

"Anyway, we need to get cracking on this sample, then."

"Actually, I have another job for you, my friend," I said, smiling.

"And what's that?"

"Do you know about the arc reactor that Stark Industries has, powering the building?"

"Yes I do, but what does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Howard Stark worked with a Soviet scientist named Anton Vanko in the seventies. Together they created the first arc reactor. But unfortunately Vanko got greedy. He tried selling the designs to the Russians, Stark found out and had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn't deliver, they booted his ass to Siberia. Eventually he wound up back in Moscow, penniless, drunk and with a genius son to rival Tony Stark. I want you to find them, and bring them to me. I have a business proposition for them."

"Consider it done. And what will you do?" he asked.

"Eat, sleep, and then start analyzing the blood. Oh and maybe I'll go through some of HYDRA's files, too."

"Sound good. See you later," he said, picking up his customized Sig Sauer 226 and heading out the door. As the door closed, I sighed deeply.

This day had taken a lot out of me. I walked over to the bedroom, and fell on the bed. In less than a minute, I was asleep.

I woke up early the next day, had a quick breakfast of eggs and black coffee and immediately went to work. I examined the blood under a microscope. The cells seemed in excess to what their supposed number should be. I added some protein and carbohydrates to the sample, and noted how it seemed to completely break it down in seconds, taking whatever form of energy it provided, and consuming the waste product completely. I frowned. This meant that no matter how much a Super Soldier ate, he'd never get fat. All the extra chemical energy in the food would just increase his strength, not his body mass. Interesting.

I put the sample into a scanner, and looked at the readings coming up on the huge LED screen in front of me. I frowned. The blood sample was much more complicated than blood had any right to be. But then again, I was much smarter than anyone had any right to be.

By comparing a sample of normal blood with the Serum-blood, I was able to piece together the chemical formula for the Serum. It took me eight hours of non-stop work, but as the sun went down, I fell back down in my chair, exhausted but exhilarated, staring at the finished formula at the screen.

The serum was potassium-based, and non-polar, meaning that it would react with biological compounds. That made sense. The compound itself wasn't too complicated, just an unorthodox combination of potassium, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon.

I now had the complete formula. All I needed to do was head back to my main lab in New York and synthesize it. I grinned victoriously. I was so close!

The sound of the door sliding open jarred me from my thoughts. Getting up, I walked over to the lobby to see John leading two men, the older leaning on the shoulder of the younger.

I smiled at them.

"Good evening, Dr. Vanko," I said in perfect Russian. "And this must be Ivan? Glad to finally meet you both."

Both father and son looked at me closely, the former with curiosity, the latter with suspicion.

"Now then," I said, narrowing my eyes, "Let's talk business."

 **Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait. It's something you'll have to** **get used to, I'm afraid. My college classes have started, and studies are really tough. I honestly only have Fridays and Saturday to write this story, so updates will probably be sporadic. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review and flame my ass for my horrible writing skills! PM me any plot ideas you may have, and let me know if you want this story to have FF and the X-Men or not. I'm honestly on the fence regarding that. Also, shout out to Doctor Doofensmirtz, he had a lot of great criticism in his review, and honestly all the points he raised were valid. I hope this is more to your liking. Also, side note, I read your entire review in Doctor Doofensmirtz voice, XD.**

 **PEACE!**


	3. Chapter 3

" _Let me get this straight_ ," spoke Ivan Vanko in Russian, straightening up in his seat. " _You want my father's designs of the arc reactor, correct?"_

" _Correct, and I'm willing to pay."_

" _So suppose that we go along with this. What assurance do we have that you will not rip us off like that ingrate Stark?"_

" _My word is my bond, Mr. Vanko."_

" _Your word,"_ Vanko spat.

" _Your word means shit to me, American. That Stark promised my father riches, oh yes. Riches and fame and respect. My father believed in him. Trusted him. And what good did that do him?"_

I narrowed my eyes and signaled John. He strode forwards with a briefcase and opened it in front of the Vanko's. The eyes of both father and son widened as they looked at the contents of the case. Nearly fifteen million US dollars. Not exactly a crippling price for me, yet for two homeless drunk Russians, it must seem like a fortune.

I smiled. I could practically see them drooling.

John snapped the case shut, shaking the father-son duo out of their shock.

" _As I said, my word is my bond. Fifteen million dollars for a few measly pieces of paper. Hardly the worst deal of your life, eh?"_

The old man murmured something that I couldn't catch. Ivan leaned in, listening to his father. He frowned as he listened, seemingly angry at whatever he was saying. they argued in hushed whispers for a while, and then with a sigh, Ivan turned to face me.

" _My father—_ We _reject your offer. We will not sell our secrets. Not to an American."_

I sighed. "As you wish."

At my signal, John rushed forward from behind the Vanko's, grabbed Ivan in a chokehold and stuck the needle of a syringe filled with sedative into his neck. Ivan roared and thrashed in pain, but his movements quickly became sluggish. John let him go and he fell to the ground, unconscious.  
John then injected the same sedative into the bewildered old man, who seemed so shocked that he didn't even put up a fight. I suppose he had expected me to raise my price. Cute.

" _Why?"_ he croaked.

" _Because I must. You would never understand."_ I said as I crouched down in front of his seat and faced him.

" _You should have taken my offer. Goodbye, Anton."_

I saw his eyes cloud as the drug pulled him under. His lolled over his shoulder and he dropped the sheaf of papers that he had been holding.

I bent down and picked them up. Opening them, I studied the pages and smiled. They were blueprints for the arc reactor, and from what I could tell, they were legit. Now all I needed to do was come up with a way to create a smaller version. It shouldn't be too hard, I mean if Tony Stark could do it in a cave, and Whiplash could in a Moscow slum, why couldn't I, with all the money in the world?

"You got what you wanted?" inquired John, picking up Ivan in a fireman's lift.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now, what about these two?"

"Right, give me a minute…"

I took out my customized smartphone and carefully took pictures of each and every piece of paper. Then I gathered up the blueprints and put them in the older Vanko's pocket.

"Put them back where they came from. The drug's effects will wear off in about twelve hours, they won't remember anything that happened here."

"Got it." He picked up the old man as well, Jesus John was strong, and then paused.

"Y'know, I kind of feel bad for them. They could have become millionaires, and they threw the chance away."

"Yeah, I guess. But it is what it is."

Nodding, John left the building.

I heard the engine of the truck outside start up and then pull out of the driveway.

I sighed and sat down on my chair. I reflected that it was probably best that the Vanko's hadn't taken my offer. If they had, Anton Vanko could have afforded better healthcare, meaning he wouldn't have died, meaning that Ivan wouldn't have had the motivation to become Whiplash and go after Tony Stark, meaning that the majority of the events of _Iron Man 2_ wouldn't have even taken place. This way, I got what I needed, and at the same time the timeline remained stable. A win-win for everyone! Except for the Vanko's, I suppose.

I transferred the photos of the prints to the mainframe and started to read. The science was complex, the writing often unintelligible and in Russian, but I still couldn't keep a smile from coming to my face. The blueprints, as poor quality as they were, were enough to give me the general working of the arc reactor, and that was really all I needed.

That being said, building this thing wouldn't be cheap, even for me.

The arc reactor would require a huge amount of palladium, a very rare and very expensive element, and a wide assortment of other materials. In addition, the palladium would need to be changed every few years, essentially bleeding money. However, I knew of a certain bullshit material that existed in this universe that I could use that would be much more efficient. Vibranium. Getting my hands on it would be notoriously difficult, though. In fact, I could only think of one way I could get it.

I rubbed my neck ruefully. Seems like I would be needing to visit Ulysses Klaue soon. There was no rest for the wicked, it seemed.

I looked up at the screen displaying the Super Soldier serum, and allowed myself a rare moment of pride. After so many years of plotting, waiting and watching, my plans were in motion. And now I had both the Arc Reactor plans and the formula for the Super Soldier serum, the secrets behind the power of Iron Man and Captain America, within my grasp!

Speaking of secrets, I looked around and my eyes fell on the cardboard box of HYDRA secrets I had stolen from the facility. I walked up to it and started pulling out files. I opened the first and started reading.

It was dated from the late 80s, and was a complete registry of all the active HYDRA agents at the time. None of the names really meant much to me, so I closed the file and put it aside. The list might come in useful later, but as of right now I didn't need it.

I picked up another file.

This also proved to be inconsequential to me, a report on the logistics of some long forgotten mission in the Arctic. Tossing it aside as well, I started digging through the rest of the files.

It wasn't until the fifth or sixth file that I came across something that piqued my interest. It was a record of all the assassinations the Winter Soldiers had carried out. Each Winter Soldier had a separate page with their victims' names written underneath their own, alongside the date of assassination.

I flipped through the pages until I reached Bucky's. Compared to the rest of the Winter Soldiers, he had a lot less kills, only around a few dozens. But once I ran my eyes down the names, I realized that his targets were much more important than others.

John F. Kennedy… Howard and Martha Stark… Seems like Bucky was HYDRA's ace in the hole.

After a few more minutes of studying, I put the file aside and picked up the last one. I noticed as I did so that it was substantially heavier and thicker than the rest.

I opened up the file. Judging by the yellowed pages and discolored ink, this file was quite older than the previous ones.

Focusing on the title, I was surprised to find that the title was in German, instead of Russian. The title said, " _Research Report on Tesseract-Powered Arsenal – by Dr. Arnim Zola."_

Underneath it was stamped in blood red ink, _DISCONTINUED._

A jolt of shock ran through me, raising the hairs on my arms. I tore through the rest of the file. Contained within were highly detailed designs for pistols, assault rifles, snipers, grenades, even an energy sword like from Halo, all powered by Tesseract energy.

Heart thumping and hands trembling, I put down the file and ran my shaking fingers through my hair. This was beyond amazing. This was nothing short of miraculous. It took every ounce of my self-control not to jump on my chair, squealing in delight like a little baby.

Plans for a complete Tesseract-powered arsenal! Just there for me to take! On the same day as I got the Super Soldier serum, no less. Wow. God really was going out of his way to do me a solid.

Or Stan Lee. Same difference.

I immediately uploaded the blueprints to the mainframe and sent a digital copy to my main computer in my Manhattan penthouse.

I got up from my chair and started pacing around the lab, thoughts flying through my brain at a thousand miles per hour.

The weapon plans that had quite literally fallen into my lap were from the time that HYDRA still had the Tesseract, during World War II. Which meant that these plans were rather outdated by my standards. Even a genius like Arnim Zola would have been shackled by the limitations of technology of that era. With the cutting edge of science and technology at my disposal, I could improve upon these designs a triple fold. And I could easily afford it too, as I didn't have any plans to equip an army like Zola had to.

Not yet, anyway.

Alright, at this point, you might be asking, _why is Alex so excited about these plans when he doesn't even_ have _the Tesseract? What use is it to him?_ Well you see, I didn't need the Tesseract. When Howard Stark created the Arc Reactor, he used the Tesseract as a model. He based his entire principle on the working of the little blue box. Therefore, Arc Reactor energy had the same signature as Tesseract energy. Therefore, I could use Arc Reactor energy to power the weapons. And I already _had_ the plans for an Arc Reactor. All I needed was a working Arc Reactor. But for that I needed Vibranium, and for _that_ I need Ulysses Klaue.

But first I was going to go back to my main lab and make the Super Soldier Serum. There was slight problem in that department, though. Even though I had the physical serum, my enhancement would still be of lesser magnitude than Steve Rogers, because I didn't have the most crucial part of the procedure, the one thing Erskine had that no other scientist could replicate: Vita Rays.

All the science from then to now had been unable to replicate the rays. A few had tried, with disastrous results (Read, the Hulk). Science had failed to crack the secret of Vita Rays. So maybe I needed to look somewhere else for answers.

And I knew just the person to ask.

"So explain to me this," John panted as he and I pushed the heavy machinery and tables out of the way to make space for the examination table that I would be strapped to in a little while, "What do you need me for?"

I straightened up and stretched my back, panting as well.

"A lot of people don't know that the original process that made Captain America was a two-step procedure. Steve Rogers was injected with the serum, yes, but the serum has a lot of negative side-effects. Cancer, mental diseases, muscle deterioration, you name it. So, to make sure that didn't happen to America's golden boy, Erskine bombarded his body with something called Vita Rays."

John looked at me. "Alright, I'll bite. What are Vita Rays?"

"Honestly? No one knows." I sighed. "All we know is that they have miraculous regenerative properties, and they somehow neutralize the negative effects of the serum. It also improves the actual enhancement itself. As to what it is, and how it's produced, no one has the slightest idea. No scientist has cracked the code.

"So I wonder, is the scientist really the right person to ask? How about, I don't know, a… sorcerer?" I asked, looking John directly in the eye.

If John was shocked, he did a remarkable job hiding it.

"How long did you know?" he asked in a clipped voice.

"Since the start, my friend."

He sighed deeply, and was silent for a count of five.

"Alright, I can't really say I'm surprised. You always know things you have no business knowing, anyway. What do you need me to do?"

I smiled at him and slapped his shoulder.

"I need you to bombard me."

"Come again?"

"I think Vita Rays are actually a form of restoration magic, and if that's true, you're channeling the same magic through your body right now. It's how you're able to walk after your injuries. In theory, you should be able to direct that magic into my body when the serum is injected into my bloodstream. It should work just like Vita Rays."

John looked doubtful.

"That is a humungous if, Alex."

I smiled.

"Occupational hazard, John. Now get ready, we're doing this as soon as the serum is synthesi-" a ting from the main frame alerted me that the serum, in fact, had been successfully synthesized. "Well what do ya know. We're doing this now. Buckle up, man. It's go time."

Without further ado, I lay down onto the table, with John strapping me in. Then he went over to the synthesizer and pulled out the vial of the most precious compound on earth, the Super Soldier serum. This he fitted into the IV stand next to me. I grunted in pain as I felt the needle puncture my arm.

John walked back, pump in hand and worry on his face.

"Introducing Serum into bloodstream in three… two… one… Good luck, Alex." He said as he squeezed the pump, pushing the Serum into my veins.

How can I describe the feeling of the drug in my body?

From the moment it entered into my bloodstream, every nerve was on fire. My vision swam, my skin burned feverishly, and my bones felt as though they were melting. I screamed out in pain. Unable to bear it. I almost told John to stop it, to end the pain. Only the thought of what I was about to achieve sustained me. The pain kept on mounting, burning through me, hallowing me, killing me. Then the contractions started. I screamed so hard my voice went hoarse.

I could feel my bones snapping, growing and rejoining. My muscles felt like they were made of molten magma. There was a furnace inside me, and it was itching to explode.

What a fool I was, to think that I could fight gods and Titans? I was just a silly little man, with silly little plans of the world. I had meddled with things I didn't understand, and now I was going to pay the price.

And then suddenly, the pain lessened. My body still hurt like hell, but I didn't feel as if I was being charbroiled anymore. I looked over, and saw John moving his hand in a clockwise rotation, muttering words I couldn't understand, a golden arcane disk in front of him. From the disk, twisting and writhing, were golden rays of pure light, arcing into my body. With every passing second, the excruciating pain lessened, replaced by feeling of warmth. Not the burning, hellish kind from before, but a tranquil, healthy warmth that nevertheless filled me with a prickling feeling in my bones.

"More…" I croaked.

John shifted his stance, and the prickling feeling intensified.

"More."

The feeling grew, travelling along my spine, my veins, into my heart. It felt good.

"More!"

"It's too much! You can't take anymore!" I heard John's panicked voice over the hum in my ears.

"MORE!"

The tingling turned into stabbing pains all over my body. My entire body felt charged with energy. I yelled out, and the energy in me bubbled up and exploded out in a miniature supernova of intense light.

John picked himself up from the ground, and looked over to where the remains of the examination table were. Standing there was a figure completely wreathed in smoke. The figure walked towards him slowly, and reached out a hand, before promptly falling to the ground unconscious.

John quickly ran over and hoisted him up, surprised to find himself struggling under Alexander's weight. Looking down on him, two things registered in John's mind.

One, his friend was naked. Two, he was much, _much_ larger than he had been before.

"Son of a bitch… It _worked..."_

 **Guys, I'm really, really sorry about the long wait. But I have a good reason. My phone and laptop got stolen recently, and it was impossible for me to write this for a long while. I hope you can forgive me. Anyway, hope you liked. Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

I was standing in an unfamiliar place surrounded by darkness. It might have been a forest, a city, or even another planet. I had no idea. The only thing I could think of was that I shouldn't be here. I had to leave. Now.

No sooner had the thought occurred to me that deep voice boomed out from behind me, freezing my blood in fear.

" **There is no escape, little fool."**

Turning around in terror, I saw a gigantic figure shrouded in shadows, glowing red eyes visible through the gloom.

" **All your efforts are futile. There is nothing you can do to stop me. You have no hope, because dread it, fear it, run from it, destiny still arrives.** _ **Thanos**_ **still arrives."**

The Mad Titan stepped out of the darkness, a feral smile on his scarred face.

Terror such as I have never known before seized me. I tried to move, but my legs were frozen to the ground.

Looking around, I suddenly realized that the darkness had disappeared when Thanos had stepped out, revealing my surroundings to me. It was a crimson dystopian wasteland, a graveyard of towers and buildings, the skeleton of a long gone civilization.

I shivered. Titan. I was on Titan.

Thanos walked up to me, still smiling, and laid his gauntlet-less hand heavily on my head.

" **You will never be strong enough to stop me. You will fail to save your planet, you will fail to save your friends, you will fail to save yourself. You'll watch the world burn, and you will know it to be your fault. I will break your spirit, and then you will die. This I promise you."**

And with that, he snapped his fingers.

I looked down and saw in horror that my legs were starting to crumble into dust. I looked up into his grinning face, into his soulless red eyes, and suddenly my fear turned into fury.

"And I promise you, scrotum-face, you will live to regret the day you messed with my planet. You will die by my hand, Titan. Your head will look great on my wall."

Thanos was no longer smiling.

With a growl, he raised his gauntleted fist, and an abyss opened beneath my rapidly deteriorating form.

The red eyes of the Mad Titan were the last things I saw as my disintegrating body fell down the unending darkness.

My eyes snapped open and I instantly launched myself into the air without thinking. Heart thumping and adrenaline running through my veins, all rational thought left my mind as pure animal instinct took over as I hurtled at breakneck speed towards the ceiling. Letting my body act on its own accord, I twisted in air and somehow managed to kick off the ceiling instead of crashing into it, somersault through the air and land on the floor striking the classic superhero pose automatically.

 _Whoa._

Heart still thumping from my nightmare, I stood up warily and looked down at my body, the memories of previous events rushing back to my mind. Clearly, the Serum had done its job. I was clearly a lot taller than before, closer to seven feet than six, where before I'd only stood at around five foot ten.

Despite keeping myself in the best shape possible, I'd always been more on the lean side, which was why I'd favored speed over strength. Now though…

I looked like I might give Thor a run for his money, physique wise. Powerful, perfectly sculpted muscles covered my entire body, giving me a sense of strength and stability I'd never known before. I had an eight pack, for fuck's sake.

But at the same time I felt… lighter, as if the gravity acting on me had somehow halved. Experimentally, I jumped to see how it felt. Immediately, I shot up at a much greater height and speed than I'd anticipated. Combining these two things together, the result which followed was inevitable; a dent in the ceiling the rough size and shape of my head.

I landed back on the ground with a groan and rubbed the top of my head. Surprisingly it didn't hurt that badly. Seems like the Serum increased my general toughness as well.

 _A good thing too,_ I thought ruefully. _Otherwise I'd have a concussion right now._

Looking around, I was struck by the way I was able to see my surroundings. Standing in a dimly lit room, I could count each and every miniscule mark on the tiled floor, every slight imperfection in the wood paneling opposite to me.

The Serum had enhanced my vision as well, it seemed. The closest way I can describe the change was if I had spent my entire life looking at the world in greyscale, and somebody had just switched on all the colors. Everything seemed more vibrant, new and… important.

I looked around as I studied my otherwise unremarkable bedroom, drinking in the sensory feast my heightened senses afforded me. My eyes fell on the floor-to-ceiling mirror that took up the corner of the room.

With some trepidation, I walked up to it, noticing as I did that my usual gait felt awkwardly out of place in my new body. This would take some getting used to, I realized.

Taking a deep breath, I looked into the mirror nervously. What if something had gone wrong?

What if my face ended up like the Red Skull's?

After all, the movies had never established exactly why the Serum had made Steve Rogers look like a Greek god and Heinz Schmidt look like an uncooked lobster.

Call it vanity, nut I did not want to look like an uncooked lobster, or any other crustacean, for that matter.

Anyway, looking in the mirror, it took me a few minutes to realize that the face in the mirror was my own. As used to I was to my lean, sallow-skinned face, with pale green eyes and lusterless black hair, that I almost didn't recognize the face staring back at me as my own.

Instead of my normal thin face, I saw a broad, chiseled face and a jawline that could cut glass. My skin, until recently an unhealthy yellow and slightly disfigured from acne (evidence of many sleepless nights spent working and my recent exit from puberty, respectively) was now completely smooth and flawless. The slight swelling on my brow where Brad had sucker-punched me had disappeared as well. Even my eyes seemed somehow brighter.

I was, simply put, handsome. Like _really_ handsome. I looked like I'd just stepped out of Hollywood.

Happy with how my physical appearance had turned out, I moved away from the mirror and spied some clothes laid out on a sofa nearby. Probably John, I thought. I went over and put them on. Evidently John had gone shopping, because even though by rights all my clothes would be several sizes to small now, these fit reasonably well.

I'd just finished dressing when the door to my bedroom slid open and John stepped through, looking exhausted. Thanks to my enhanced vision, I could notice a lot of things about my friend, like the pallor of his cheeks, the slightest tremor in his hands and the redness of his eyes that showed me that he hadn't slept in a long time.

"Good morning John." I said brightly. "Actually, is it morning? Can't tell. How long have I been out?"

John yawned and looked up at me with bleary eyes, (he had to raise his head to look at me in the eye now. This was so weird.)

"It's four in the morning, Alex. And to answer your question, you've been out for three days."

" _Three days?"_ I echoed, the smile dropping from my face. "Why? The Serum doesn't take that long to take effect! What happened?"

"That's what I've been trying to find out for the last… forty hours? Fifty? Anyway, come to the main lab, I'll show you everything I've found."

On the way to the lab, I noticed John walking like a man in a fevered dream, on the verge of collapse.

"Are you alright, John?" I asked, concerned.

"I haven't slept a total of five hours in the entire time you've been unconscious, Alex, so no, I've been better," He snapped.

I was surprised and, admittedly rather moved by the fact he'd been so worried about me.

"Okay, after you show me the results of the tests, you're gonna have a long warm bath and then at least eight hours of sleep, got it?" I spoke in a soothing voice.

He nodded slowly, a tired smile on his face.

"You don't need to tell me twice, North."

The door to the labs slid open and we entered, our arrival triggering the lights to automatically switch on. John walked over to the main frame and pulled up a window displaying two separate blood samples.

"Alright, look. The sample on the left is your blood before taking the Serum, and the one on the right is the Serum blood we got from the Soldier."

I nodded in understanding as I studied the samples. Like I'd noticed before, the cells in the Serum blood seemed in excess to what they should be, and they had the remarkable ability to strip all the nutrients and useful materials out of a foreign substance, all the while completely disintegrating any waste product that was poisonous or otherwise harmful.

"Now look at this."

John pulled up another screen.

"This is the Serum blood compared to your blood _after_ the transformation."

I stared in amazement. My blood cells were at _twice_ as many as in the Serum blood. What was more, my cells were clearly much more energetic, seemingly supercharged with some sort of energy.

John ran a few simulations on my blood, and I saw that my blood in more or less the same way as Brad's blood did, but just _better._ I absorbed nutrients from foreign substances quicker, produced nearly five times the energy and all in all performed like a much more powerful version of Serum Blood.

"How…" I asked, my voice hoarse with astonishment.

John sighed. "As far as I can tell, your cells now contain an absurd amount of energy, even more than the absurd amount of energy present in the Serum Blood already. Which means that you're stronger, faster and smarter than even other standard Super Soldiers."

"B-but why?" I croaked. "What happened that…" my voice trailed off as I realized the answer to my own question.

"Vita Rays…"

John nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. When you said that Vita Rays were restoration magic, you were half right. They _are_ restoration magic, but much weaker and diluted. Produced by machine, somehow. Anyway, they react comparatively weakly with the Serum, only stabilizing it and improving it slightly. But you had me bombard you with pure, _unfiltered_ magic, which reacted much more strongly with the Serum."

I slowly sank down into a chair as I listened to him speak. Magic and its effects on the body was, after all, his specialty.

"The magic acted as a catalyst for an even more powerful transformation within you. It somehow supercharged the Serum, turning the dial of the enhancement all the way up to eleven, so to speak. It enhanced the effects of the Serum, making you even more powerful than we intended."

"Any side-effects?" I asked cautiously. This all seemed too good to be true, which immediately put me on guard. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as they say.

John shook his head.

"None, except for this."

He ran another simulation, in which extreme cellular damage was applied to my blood cells. I watched, transfixed as the shredded remains of my internal molecular structure started to reform, slowly at first, but then picking up speed as it rapidly reformed back into exact shape and form it had been before the extensive damage. There remained absolutely no evidence that there had been any stress on my cellular structure in the first place.

I didn't trust myself to speak. Luckily I didn't have to, as John went on.

"This simulation is in real time. You actually heal this fast. This is cellular regeneration on a level I've only seen when magic is involved. All the excess restoration magic in your body is constantly running through your veins right now. And because magic is basically interdimensional energy, it won't run out. That means you'll heal from nearly any injury almost instantly. And I think you're basically immune to every disease we know of, too."

I just sat there, stunned as I listened to John as he dropped bombshell after bombshell. All I'd been hoping for was Captain America speed and strength, for God's sake. I'd have counted myself lucky if I'd succeeded in that without any untoward incidents. But this was… just, so _impossibly_ good, I was sure there'd be catch somewhere, a third eye or a second head. But according to John, the only catch wasn't even a catch at all, but an honest-to-goodness _healing factor._

In barely a week, I'd gone from merely a competent human to a genuine superhuman, possibly the strongest person on earth, bar the Hulk, at least until Thor came knocking. Not bad for a kid barely legal to drink.

I smiled, I honestly couldn't help it. My plan so far had yielded greater results than I could've hoped for I stood up from my chair, my smile turning into a broad grin. This was it! I was finally on my way to greatness.

John took one look at my face and stood up as well.

"Okay, this was fun. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent appointment with my bed."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You're going to sleep? Now?"

John sighed, and looked me hard in the eye.

"Ignoring the fact that I'm so tired that I've been seeing double of you for half an hour, and I'm still not sure which of you is the real one, I know that gleam in your eye, Alex. I know what comes next, and I'm _really_ not up to that right now."

"Oh really?" I said, crossing my arms. "And what exactly is it that you think I'm gonna do now?"

"You're gonna go out and test out your powers and try to push them to their limits, just to see what they might be."

I blinked.

"Huh. Guess you know me better that I thought."

"Indeed I do. Now, I know you're excited and all, but can you please keep the inevitable crashing and smashing that will occur down? I really need to sleep."

I grinned. "Sure, John. Go sleep."

"Thank you Alex."

He walked away, before turning around to face me at the door.

"Don't do anything too crazy without me, okay?"

"Of course I won't! You worry too much, gramps."

John flipped me the bird, and went to get his well-deserved rest.

I grunted slightly as I lifted the small minivan over my head. I'd realized pretty early on that I was comprehensively stronger than any version of Captain America had ever been, comic-verse or movie-verse. Therefore, I'd left the traditional weights behind and settled for more… unorthodox equipment.

Scattered around me were objects of various weights and sizes, such as motorcycles, refrigerators, cinderblocks and even a pickup truck. So far none had proven a challenge, except for the last one. Even then I'd been able to raise it half off the ground before it put too much strain on me. Although I believed that with practice I could lift even heavier weights, it seemed for now my strength level was being able to lift around two tons.

Not at all shabby.

I put the car down carefully and cracked my knuckles. I pulled out my personal tablet and entered in my score for the strength test. Then I closed it and headed out to the circular running track that around the grounds surrounding my base. Setting a timer on my Stark tech smartwatch, I took off on the track.

Einstein's theory of relativity states that the faster you move; the slower time moves for you. I'd always had trouble wrapping my head around that. Until now, that is.

The entire world around me slowed down, and then collapsed in on itself as though I was looking at it through a telescope. I shot across the track faster than most cars on the highway. I was running faster than I'd ever gone before, and with a thrill I realized I wasn't even close to my top speed yet. Pouring more energy into my legs, my shout of glee was lost in the wind as I run even faster. I was so lost in the adrenaline rush that I didn't even realize that I'd already crossed the finish line _twice._ I finished the third time, and looked at my watch.

Just under two minutes. I'd run three miles in under two minutes, and I wasn't even winded. I ran some numbers in my head, and was slightly surprised by how quickly I was able to work out my average speed; ninety-five miles per hour. While absolutely unbelievable in itself, I was more interested in how quickly I'd calculated that.

I knew the Serum increased brainpower, but just how much, especially for a genius like me?

Picking up the tablet again, I first happily added in my speed test results, then opened up the Stark apps folder that came pre-downloaded with it, and opened the Stark IQ Test app. The IQ test was considered official in most of the major companies, and it was completely cheating proof, as you couldn't click away from it until it was done, and it used the front camera to detect how many people were looking at the screen. If there were more than one, you automatically failed the test.

The home screen showed my current IQ score, 254, classified as _Super-Genius._ That was an actual class of intellect in the MCU, to accommodate such people as Tony Stark who transcended mere genius. I'd also learned that the geniuses of my universe, like Stephen Hawking for example, also had a much higher IQ in the MCU, bordering on 300 in the case of Dr. Hawking. Tony Stark stood at 290, while a was some way behind in the 250 neighborhood.

At least, I had been.

I clicked on the fresh test option and began the test.

I finished in less than three minutes, which prompted the app to inform me that it was a new record. I waited a few minutes as it calculated my result, and then with a little jingle, it displayed a single three-digit number; _376._

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. My IQ had gone up by more than a hundred points. I refused the option to send my result to the leaderboards, no need to gain any notoriety right now, and closed the tablet.

I thought for a moment about my next move. I needed Vibranium for the Arc reactor, but for that I needed to find Klaue. I sighed. I was at an impasse right now. The most I could do was train myself more as I searched for Klaue.

Although right now I needed to cool off, and with that in mind, I took off for a leisurely stroll through New York City.

I walked through the city with no real destination in mind, taking in the scenery with my enhanced senses and slightly enjoying the lustful eyes of most women and some men on me.

Sauntering up 42nd and Madison Avenue, I passed a construction site, subtly ignoring the stares of the people around me when _something_ , some primal instinct made me turn around and look at the construction site.

The building was nearly two thirds done, I judged, and seemed to be just another addition to the endless myriad of skyscrapers that was the New York City skyline, nothing special. I couldn't understand what drew me so viscerally to this specific building. Then I saw the sign at the gate of the fence.

 _ **THIS IS THE SITE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE BAXTER BUILDING, APPROVED BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK.**_

Shit. Oh Shit.

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit…

I tore down the street, not caring as people fell over themselves to stare at the mountain of a man run faster than a cheetah through the city.

The ground had just been pulled out from under my feet.

I knew there would be something that would end up blindsiding me, _I knew it._

The Fantastic Four were here.

Who else?

 **Hey guys! Standard apology for the late as fuck upload. Can't be helped. Anyway, you know the drill, Review, Fav and Follow!**

 **Peace!**


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